Father battling with cancer, Tejinder wins Asian Games gold in Jakarta

Jakarta, Aug 25 (PTI) It was not easy to leave behind his father, battling cancer in a Punjab hospital, but Tejinder Pal Singh Toor remained strong in pursuit of his passion and all the sacrifices made, paid off today with an Asian Games gold medal.

Not only the 23-year-old from Moga won a gold, it came with a new Games record as he threw the iron ball to 20.75 m in his fifth attempt. It bettered a six-year old mark, set by Om Prakash Karhana (20.69m).

Toor said he did not think of winning gold and his target was to breach the 21m mark.

"I had just one aim in mind. I wanted to clear 21 metre. I did not think of gold. But I am happy with this. I was trying hard to break the national record for the last 2-3 years and it happened today, that too with a Meet record," Tejinder said after winning gold.

Tejinder said the feat means a lot to him and his family.

"This medal is my biggest achievement because a lot of sacrifices have been made. For the last two years, my father (Karam Singh) has been battling with cancer. My family though never let me get distracted. They allowed me to chase my dream. A lot of sacrifices have been made by my family and friends and all those have paid today.

"My family never pressurized to attend my father in hospital and it was always my friends who took care of all the hospital formalities in my absence. I have not gone home much in this period since I was training in Dharamsala," the burly athlete, who trains with MS Dhillon, said.

"Now I will meet my dad but I will be there for only two days. I have to get ready for the next challenge. My coach M S Dhillon also needs to be credited for the hard work put in by him," he said